Ontario RAT 5

11/13/2013 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $75.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I have had my eyes on the RAT 5 almost since the first day I started getting into knives. I will say that this blade does not disappoint. Good weight for chopping, amazing blade design, USA made, the sheath gets the job done, and all for under $100. The handle is thick so if you have small hands you will find the knife can cramp your hands. I wear size large gloves and the handle feels great, but my wife does not like it with her smaller hands. For tactical or survival this blade really excels.

ESEE Izula 2

11/13/2013 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $80.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

I bought this knife to be used as an EDC/Survival Knife to either be used on its own around town or to be paired with a larger blade in wilderness. I was not all that impressed with its cutting capabilities of man made materials like cardboard or rope, any of my pocket knives can cut better. With that said I was very impressed with its survival capabilities and is the perfect mate for your larger blade. The Izula II is the same size as the original Izula, just has a longer handle. Get the model with the micarta handle scales they are worth it. The price is high for such a small blade, I think it should be priced around $50 with the micarta handle scales included not $70-$80.

KaBar TDI Law Enforcement

11/11/2013 by Dante

-Price Paid: $30.00
-Used for Self Defense
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

This knife is a great knife. I rated it at an 8 primarily for the sheath system that comes with the knife as well as personal preferences. The carbon steel the knife uses lives to its name sake and takes quite the edge. I would have no doubt this knife would perform well in self defense or utility tasks. The fit and finish of the knife is well executed with my grinds even and coating durable. The handle and grips give good ergonomics to the hand and give great control. One thing I would nit pick is that since the blade length is so short, I would wish the handle was a tad shorter as a lot of it sticks out of my hand. It would make the overall profile shorter and still give the same amount of control it has. I wear a medium men's glove although my fingers are short (not stubs by any means). This is personal preference and I do plan to take the handle down half an inch in order to be able to cap flush with my thumb in reverse grip. The only thing that is terrible in this package is the sheath which is loose enough to fall out with a little bit of shaking if upside down. Even if something catches the handle, you risk it being pulled out without much force. I made a kydex sheath for mine which works very well and allows a full grip which incorporates the choil when drawing without having to readjust. To me, this knife is more of a push knife whereas its larger cousins are more suited for slashing and thrusting. I purchased this second hand but if I got another one, I think I would get the larger or ankle version as they offer more reach.

SOG Seal Pup

11/11/2013 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $45.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

The SOG Seal Pup an amazing Tactical/Survival knife. The AUS-8 is cryo-heat treated to help with edge retention (which is great) and makes it less prone to chipping. The GRN handle will hold up much better then kraton, but gives you the same amount of traction. The nylon sheath is durable and does it job great. The blade the design is perfect for stabbing, and carving. If you need to defend your life or make a fire this knife will do it and will do it for under $50.

SOG NW Ranger

11/11/2013 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $50.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I picked this knife up for use as a lightweight hiking/camp knife. The FFG makes the NW Ranger an amazing slicer of wood and food. The kraton handle is extremely comfortable. The leather sheath is junk, but the NW Ranger fits perfectly in the nylon sheath of the SOG Seal Pup. You can get them on amazon or ebay for around $15. The knife is not suited for batoning or chopping, but it is a great overall blade for lightweight tasks.

Kershaw Piston

11/11/2013 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $55.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I have to say that this is one of my favorite Kershaws ever and I have owned several. You get USA quality, sanvik steel, open assist, g-10 handles, and 4 way pocket clip. The ergos are great on the handle, the thumb studs are the same as on the blur, and a great blade design for stabbing and slicing. You want this kershaw in your edc collection.

Kershaw Echelon

11/11/2013 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $50.00
-Used for Every Day Carry
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

The Kershaw Echelon is a big let down for me. I bought it looking for something unique, which is but it does not function well. The problem is the thumb studs, they killed it for me, they are slick and hard to purchase. For the price, there are plenty of other Kershaw knives I would take over the Echelon. The Kershaw piston, knockout, blur are all much better designed.

Kershaw Camp 10

11/11/2013 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $38.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 3 months

Comments:

When you compare firepower to price, the Kershaw Camp 10 is a home run! I have used this knife on several camping trip and it chops and batons just as well as my RTAK II. The sheath is also well designed. It uses 65mn High Carbon Steel that is just as tough as 5160 that Ontario Knife Company uses. The only thing I have noticed is that it is very prone to rust when wet. For $38 an amazing 10 inch blade.

SOG Recon Bowie 2.0

11/11/2013 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $100.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 1 year

Comments:

This is a great blade, I did not think I would like the design till I got it in my hands. The spine is 0.24 inches thick and the tip is great for stabbing. The knife excels at carving, stabbing, and batoning. However, its not a very good chopper compared to some other knives in its size and weight class like the BK7. You can checkout my youtube review and see the RECON in action.

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SOG Force

11/11/2013 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $90.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for 6 months

Comments:

I will get the bad out of the way first, the sheath is pretty bad that comes with the SOG Force, it is nylon with a velco only retention strap keeping the knife in the sheath. I recommend a SPEC OPS COSTUME NYLON SHEATH $4o to be used, makes the carry much better. Now that is out of the way, this knife rocks, it is 0.25 inch thick blade that is tough and strong as nails. The AUS-8 has great edge retention and the handle is indestructible, even with hard batoning. The down side is that you will have to pay $90 for the knife and then another $40 for the better sheath. When they are combined its a fantastic survival setup, but it is going to cost you. Checkout my youtube review to see the SOG Force in action.

KaBar Becker Campanion

11/11/2013 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $60.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

The Ka-Bar BK2 is one of the best 5 inch knives for $60 around. The ergos on the handle make it a great chopper, and its 0.25 inch thick spin makes it good for batoning and indestructible. It is heavy at 16oz. and that would be the only draw back to this knife. They now come with nylon or GRN sheaths. Go with the nylon one, the GRN dulls the blade over time. Checkout my review on youtube to see this knife in action out in the wilderness.

KaBar Becker 7in Combat Utility

11/11/2013 by Aaron

-Price Paid: $70.00
-Used for Outdoor/Survival
-Owned for Greater than 1 year

Comments:

The BK7 is one of the best bang for you buck 7 inch knives out there. USA made, 1095 Cro-Van High Carbon, good sheath, good handle design. The only complaint is that the thumb ramp is not needed and gets in the way when you want to do carving. With that said, I think everyone should own one of these blades. It is a jack of all trades master of none. Checkout my youtube review and see the BK7 in action.